Ruto deflates Kakamega ODM as Lusaka team bags vocal MP

President William Ruto’s bid to secure the winning vote in the populous Western Kenya has received a major boost after he raided the shaky Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and plucked one of party’s vocal legislators to his side.

Ruto is determined to wrestle the Mulembe nation from the grip of ODM and other small regional parties including Speaker of National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula’s moribund Ford-Kenya and Eugene Wamalwa’s DAP-K.

The two parties performed so badly in the recent by-elections across the region with UDA emerging victorious with a lion’s share of the vote.

DAP-K, who face is Trans Nzoia governor Goerge Natembeya, has since been confined in Kitale with the Tawe Movement seemingly being decapitated slowly following the poor rating from the last by-elections.

Ford-Kenya is also in tatters following the mass exodus of its strongest officials who have decried a lack of democracy in the leadership of the party.

Word on the street is that even Wetang’ula’s deputy, the Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka, is just waiting for an opportune time before he quits.

Wetang’ula is fast becoming isolated within the Kenya Kwanza coalition for his refusal to fold his party and as a result, President Ruto appointed Lusaka to be his Lead reelection Coordinator for the western Kenya region.

In Kakamega, the broad-based government arrangement seems to be not working as the county ODM chairman, Governor Fernandes Barasa, seems to have no clout as he fights for his own survival.

Barasa’s woes starts from his own kitchen where his Deputy, Ayub Savula, has declared that he will be running to kick-out his boss on a UDA party ticket. Savula is also the deputy of Lusaka in coordinating Ruto’s reelection support.

And this week, Savula led the Ruto reelection team in welcoming Lurambi MP Titus Khamala into UDA.

By bagging Khamala, the team is sure of getting vital support as the MP won the seat in the last election with 32, 309 votes out of the 89, 535 registered voters, according to IEBC figures.

His closest rival, Timothy Vikiru, managed 9,342 votes.

While confirming his decamping, Khamala told his supporters that his decision was pegged on the realization that UDA was the only party that will get them to power in the next elections.

He said in the last elections, he gambled and they found themselves in the Opposition, noting that this time around, he will lead them to government.

Speaking to this writer on phone, Lusaka noted that the Mulembe Nation was ready to back Ruto as he has directed immense support to the region.

He said that Ruto’s administration has outshined all others in dishing out development projects in the region and that more has been lined up, hence reason for supporting his second term.

“The president means well for us. Our heads are already in the tent and we only need a little push for the whole body to be inside so that we are not battered by the storms of non-development and poor representation on the table,” he said.

“We are very close to power like never before. For us to get there and be strong on the table, we must throw overwhelming support behind the President,” he added.